Students pen postcards for peace

Students pen postcards for peace

Alison Brownlee

MESSAGES OF THANKS. Huntsville High School students sort through more than 500 postcards written by their fellow students after a Remembrance Day activity that encouraged them to send messages of thanks to veterans and soldiers on Nov. 9. (Photo by Alison Brownlee)

HUNTSVILLE – Soldiers and veterans will get hundreds of handwritten notes from Huntsville High School students following a Remembrance Day activity held at the school.
History teacher Anthony Asturi said students penned more than 500 postcards with messages of remembrance and thanks on Friday, Nov. 9, as part of a school-wide activity aimed at reflection and appreciation for the impact soldiers and veterans have had on students’ lives.
The Postcards for Peace campaign is a Ministry of Veterans Affairs initiative in which Asturi encouraged students to participate. The entire school got on board with the project and dedicated class time to thoughtful discussion, a moment of silence and completion of the postcards.
“There are so many ways to show respect,” said Asturi. “And the postcard campaign really tries to connect our veterans and soldiers with our students’ generation.”
The high school supported the postcard campaign in lieu of its traditional Remembrance Day assembly. Principal Kim Williams supported the campaign as a more effective form of reflection.
“We decided we would try something that we feel might give students an opportunity to reflect in a more meaningful way and actually express their sincere appreciation,” said Williams. “And the vets will feel it. Most vets don’t see what we do at our assemblies, so we thought this way we could reach right out to veterans, and current soldiers as well, by actually sending them a postcard.”
Asturi’s Grade 10 class was responsible for sorting the postcards once fellow students had completed them. The piles of cards would later be sent to active military bases and veterans.
At the school, reflection on the impact of armed conflict and world wars does not end with Remembrance Day. The high school also organizes an excursion to European battlefields for interested students.
The trip in May 2013 will take students from Berlin to Paris.
Asturi explained that such activities and trips give students a perspective and understanding they would not likely get from textbooks in a classroom setting.
Williams said Huntsville High School has more international trips than any other school and is proud of the passionate, dedicated faculty members that give their time to make these trips happen for the students.
The school organized five trips to various locations around the world for topics ranging from music to history and international development. These experiences can enhance students’ passion for a subject and often inspire them to community involvement.
“These trips have a great impact,” said Williams.